Sundays and Wednesdays are selfcare nights for me, I always treat myself to a facial mask. I’ve had extremely great results with a few I’ve tried lately! We all like a little bit of instant gratification — especially when it comes to our beauty products! Here are six facial masks that delivered immediate results for me.

HYDRATION

If hydration is your main concern, you’ll likely want to check out this new mask from Erno Laszlo. (Fun fact: Erno Laszlo was Marilyn Monroe’s skincare of choice!) Parched skin was no match for the Hydra-Therapy Skin Vitality Treatment. It’s a fun modeling-like mask. You mix the included serum vial with a powder, stir, and you get a consistency that dries into a rubbery texture that lifts off. It instantly cools and moisturizes while plumping the skin. A little on the spendy-side, so you may wish to reserve for when your skin is in dire need of TLC. It boosted hydration in some DEFCON-1 thirst levels in both mine, and my cousin’s skin! Save a little bit of the serum before mixing, and apply it after you remove the mask for even more hydration benefits.

Every week, I try several new beauty products. Some are big hits, and some are major misses. Here a five products I had to put on your radar — because these were all hits! Each of these are special in their own right, so let’s take a closer look at these products from Origins, Skinfix, Dermalogica, Kate Somerville, and Manuka Doctor…

I recently reintroduced my skin to Origins products after almost a decade, and I didn’t realize how much I was missing them! This slightly tinted and shade adjusting GinZing Tinted Moisturizer gives my skin a healthy glow, a hit of hydration, and a hint of color — all while protecting it with a physical sunscreen. Since the tint is sheer, this should be good for fair-to-medium skintones, and caffeine and ginseng help revitalize the skin — while essential oils brighten my mood. $38, origins.com

As a long-time fan of Kate Somerville’s products (and an ExfoliKate junkie), I’m thrilled that she just launched this moisturizer with glycolic and lactic acid. Not only does this help speed up cellular turnover to remove surface dullness and uneven skin texture — it increases moisture in the skin via hyaluronic acid. (The added papaya, pineapple, and pumpkin enzymes really kick up that exfoliation benefit, too!) This helps me glow, my skin looks brighter and feels softer, and it helps refine my pores. It quickly became a fave in my regimen! This is pretty active — which I’ve come to expect from Kate, so some skin types may need to increase usage of this product over time. (I started with every other day, and worked up from there.) $65, katesomerville.com [Read more…]

Whether you’re jet-setting near and far this summer, or just like the chance to try a lot of new things at once at a great price point, Sephora Favorites Sets are the way to go! I’m always looking at these limited-edition sets so that I can try products I may not have purchased otherwise — and more often than not — I’m pleasantly surprised by how many awesome products I find in them! Here are a few new ones I spied on the Sephora site that I’m pondering. I want them all, but need to narrow down my selection! Tell me which one(s) you would choose…

This is one of my fave collection releases of theirs in quite a bit. (But those facial masks I reviewed a bit back — check those out too!) Let’s take a closer look…

While this was created specifically for those with dry, sensitive skin — I see no reason why anyone wouldn’t enjoy these products, especially if you love the smell of almond and honey together as much as I do. (The Body Shop says this is a hypo-allergenic fragrance.) These products are enriched with almond oil from Spain, Community Trade honey from Ethiopia, and Community Trade shea butter from Ghana. They’re also 100% vegetarian, and cruelty-free. [Read more…]

This post has been sponsored by Nature’s Bounty. I partnered with them because I enjoy using their supplements!

I know I blog a LOT about beauty products. I’ve featured countless eyeliners, mascaras, shampoos, and skincare products on the site over the years — but here’s the thing! Those items are all extremely exciting and fun to explore, try, and share with you — but they’re not where beauty actually starts. We all know that true beauty starts from the inside and radiates outwards, and we enjoy using cosmetics to accentuate and bring attention to our favorite features, and also as a form of art and self-expression.

These are honestly reasons I’m really fascinated with the industry! But l know that the hottest new foundation on the market isn’t really going to do anything to support my skin’s overall health. And all of those nail polishes I wear require that I take something to support having healthier nails. So I started taking two Nature’s Bounty Optimal Solutions Hair, Skin & Nails Gummies a day for a little over a month, and I’m quite pleased with what I’m seeing. This challenge has been worthwhile!

In my situation, it’s hard for me to get pills down, and I don’t really enjoy taking them — so for me — these Nature’s Bounty Optimal Solutions Hair, Skin & Nails Gummiesare a perfect fit for my inner and outer beauty regimen! The gummies are soft and delicious, and strawberry flavored. With 2500 mcg of Biotin per serving, and protective antioxidants Vitamins C, and E* — I’ve completely gotten a headstart on my beauty routine in the morning, before I’ve even had breakfast! [Read more…]

Over the past year, I’ve become pretty impressed with Avène’s skincare products. There are a few reasons — aside from them doing what they promise to do — but it’s really Avene’s exclusive Thermal Spring Water that’s the secret sauce.

A little background really quick about that fancy water…

With a unique composition of pure rain water and sea spray rich with mineral salts, this water makes a 50 year journey through the Cévennes Mountains in Avène, France. Throughout that long journey, it becomes infused with properties and minerals that are super soothing and calming to the skin. This makes all of their products really gentle, and suitable for even some of the most delicate skin types. (Even when I use just the mist alone, my skin irritations and redness on my face dissipate more quickly than when I use other products.)

These two products are really helping my winter hands and lips…

Aside from their other offerings that I’m loving, their new Cold Cream Concentrated Hand Cream and Cold Cream Nourishing Lip Balm are totally making a difference in my hand and lipcare regimen this winter. Please don’t hate me because I currently live in Southern California — where we usually have some of the most beautiful weather year-round. But in the last month, we’ve been having cold days and nights (the 40’s are really COLD for us in my area!), and torrential rains. This Los Angeleno is now constantly cold. My hands became really dry, and I’m a lip balm addict anyway, so it certainly won’t hurt if my lips receive a little extra moisture love. [Read more…]

If you’ve been following my guest blog posts here on BJU, you would notice a common theme—I have a special spot in my heart for social enterprises. I also love women-owned businesses. And on top of that, I love natural products.

Brace yourself for the Holy Trinity in my book: Aunt Flow.

Aunt Flow is a buy-one-give-one model for tampons and pads. In other words, they’re like the Toms shoes of the feminine hygiene industry. Subscribe to a monthly delivery of Aunt Flow’s 100% cotton tampons or pads, and the company will donate a box to a woman in need. Aunt Flow is the brainchild of Claire Coder. She’s a 19-year old who decided after her first semester of college that she wanted to drop out and pursue her passion—helping people, period. In November 2015, she developed the idea for Aunt Flow and hit the ground running. Since then, she has launched a successful crowdfunding campaign, identified a feminine hygiene product partner, and promoted the heck out of Aunt Flow. In less than a year, Aunt Flow went from an idea to reality. Subscriptions just launched October 20th, so you can also be a part of this movement. [Read more…]

This is a sponsored conversation in partnership with Dove and Simply Stylist. All images and opinions are solely mine.

Underarms are one of those taboo areas that no one likes to talk about much — but they’re impossible to avoid, because they require their own special skincare product. I’m not afraid to admit that I’m the kind of gal that needs a little more odor and wetness protection than most products can provide, so I upgraded to the latest from Dove, their Advanced Care Antiperspirant with 48 hours of protection.

And because no one ever really likes to talk about underarms, I partnered with Dove and spoke with Board Certified Dermatologist, Dr. Alicia Barba in an exclusive Q&A to find out more about underarm health and care.

Daily essential!

Question: Do you recommend one method of underarm hair removal over another? Is there a best practice to use — shaving, waxing, laser removal — which do you find to be the most effective?

Dr. Barba:Hands down, laser hair removal is the most effective and gives a great return on your investment: hair free armpits for life! I wish this eliminated the need for deodorant too, but it doesn’t and the majority of us will still need a gentle and effective antiperspirant to keep us protected from odor and wetness. [Read more…]

Before I tell you what’s in this shampoo and conditioner that makes it so awesome, let me tell you what isn’t in it—it’s paraben-free, sulfate-free, and gluten-free. Plus it’s 100% vegan, biodegradable, and safe for color-treated hair.

But it’s what’s in it that makes it such a fabulous thing. A combination of coconut oil and sea kelp are two key ingredients that help hydrate your hair. The intense hydration promotes hair growth and prevents split ends and breakage. They’ve added mineral-rich clay and honeysuckle to help naturally remove impurities from your hair. [Read more…]